MTV VMAs 2014: Katy Perry and Riff Raff pay tribute to Britney and Justin in worst matching outfit this side of the 90s

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

No Beyonce. No Rihanna. No Lady Gaga.

The red carpet at the MTV VMAs would have been one of the most boring spectacles of recent awards show history were it not for one unlikely couple.

Katy Perry dragged “Bono with cornrows” rapper Riff Raff to pay entirely random homage to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake circa 2001 in a quadruple denim his-and-hers corseted dress and suit combination.

The pair’s arrival quickly trended on Twitter, as viewers fell over themselves to comment on the pop star’s shock sartorial decision.

Not that it stopped her from achieving awards success – Perry beat Beyonce, Lorde and Iggy Azalea to win the Best Female Video award for her controversial “Dark Horse”.

The music video caused much controversy when it was initially released in February.

An online petition signed by more than 50,000 Muslims demanded it was pulled from YouTube because of an offending scene, which shows an Islamic necklace burned by lightning shot from Perry’s fingers.